Social Media Videos: Know Your Best Platform 2021/11/01 Andre Oentoro Social Media, Content marketing, Video

As a social media strategy evolves, its success is more likely to depend on the use of video rather than text. This makes sense because people are more inclined to watch a video about a product or service than read about it. And if they want to know how a product works, they’ll usually look for a quick video demonstration instead of a long explanation filled with instructions and caveats.

In some cases, writing anything longer than what you see in the average YouTube video description box will drive your audience away faster. That’s why it’s more engaging for the audience when the detailed information is presented in the form of a video.

Social media videos are everywhere. Incorporating videos is one of the most accepted rules of using social media to your company’s advantage these days.

When posting videos on social media, it’s essential to know which platform works best for what kinds of videos and why. If you’re not sure, this article is here to help you out.

1. YouTube

YouTube is everyone’s favorite video-sharing site, but some alternatives allow greater advertising opportunities than others. It’s user-friendly and has all kinds of tutorials available for new users. Hence, YouTube would be the ideal starting point. That is, if you want to reach out to a broader audience and introduce your brand well.

This social platform is a perfect place to showcase your brand’s value proposition or to advertise your product/service by providing useful information related to it.

If you want an aesthetically pleasing video that’s sure to catch the attention of new viewers, YouTube can be your best option. It allows you to upload files easily and has various editing options available if you aren’t confident in your technical skills.

2. Twitter

Twitter is a microblogging platform that allows users to publicly share short messages (up to 280 characters). The benefit of Twitter is that it allows marketers to engage with their audience and answer their questions in real-time. 

The majority of popular brands use it as a marketing tool, which means that you can share your videos directly from this platform – no need for other media uploading and sharing websites.

Unfortunately, like all other social networks, Twitter also has its cons: it’s very easy to get lost and not be noticed there. Another issue might be that users can’t download or save videos on this network right away. 

3. Facebook

Facebook is hands-down the best way to promote yourself as a video marketer as well as an individual content creator if you’re planning to educate your new audiences. The Facebook algorithm doesn’t allow you to share videos from other sources. Having a video-sharing account or website is a must if you want your videos to be visible and reach as many potential customers as possible.

As it’s the case with Twitter, Facebook also allows marketers and creators to directly upload their videos. Moreover, you can use its native tagging feature in order to attract people interested in your product/service. If properly maintained, you can increase engagement rates and grow your follower base.

One of the main perks of using Facebook for your video marketing efforts is understanding what type of content each specific audience responds to. This makes it extremely easy to optimize your videos in terms of their length, message, look, and more. So, don’t slack when it comes to creating something useful and/or entertaining. However, do keep in mind that these two are not mutually exclusive.

4. Instagram

Instagram was previously designed for sharing user-generated photos, images, and videos. However, now several brands use it as a medium to share their marketing messages. The key here is not only creating video ads but considering the visual appeal of your content. 

Instagram users love beautiful visuals. It’s highly recommended that you follow the same approach with your own posts to get effective results. Using a short video clip on Instagram Story has been proven to help brands reach out to more and improve engagement rates.

5. LinkedIn

This social platform is great for professionals and B2B companies to publish content in the form of blogs, articles, and videos. When it comes to video content, two things matter: quality and authenticity. These are the basic principles for succeeding on LinkedIn.

Make sure to be authentic in your videos because the native audience here is most likely professionals and businesses. They can sense a great deal of intention in your videos. Remember that LinkedIn is for professionals, so make sure not to create advertisements here (you can do that on Facebook).

Instead, you need to craft useful tutorials or interviews with influencers in your industry to hook your target clients. High-quality content is important since it will help gain views more quickly than if you post low-grade stuff on this platform.

Takeaway

Social media videos are excellent marketing tools when they’re created with the right standards. You can create every video around your industry to showcase your expertise. Other videos, such as appearances at conferences, can also make great content since people can see and determine your professionalism.

Remember that social media platforms are all about valuable content for users. You may need to create tutorials, take interviews with influencers (even if it’s with yourself), or any other type of video that people will look forward to seeing in their feed. 

To find out more about social media videos, check out the infographic below.